Sam Curran, Gujarat Titans and wicket records: IPL things to watch

JOE WILLIAMS picks out some of the storylines to keep an eye on during the 2023 Indian Premier League

On March 31, the 16th edition of the Indian Premier League will get underway when defending champions Gujarat Titans take on Chennai Super Kings.

The Titans defeated Rajasthan Royals by seven wickets last May to lift the trophy at the first attempt.

Joe Williams picks out some of the storylines to keep an eye on during the 2023 IPL.

Can Sam Curran and Harry Brook live up to the hype?

England's T20 World Cup victory took place a month before the IPL auction, so naturally several of their players were high on the priority list of a number of teams.

The headline signings in December were Sam Curran, purchased for an IPL record fee of £1.85m by Punjab Kings, and Harry Brook, who set Sunrisers Hyderabad back £1.3m despite never previously featuring in the T20 competition.

The question is, how will both players handle the pressure that comes with such hefty price tags?

Well, for Curran, this is not his first rodeo – he's previously represented the Kings as well as CSK – but it will be the first time he is expected to lead the bowling attack. The Surrey allrounder missed the 2022 campaign to focus on his recovery from injury but has previously enjoyed three fruitful seasons in the IPL, averaging 22.47 and striking at 149.77 with the bat and taking 32 with an economy of 9.21 with the ball.

^{Harry Brook was picked up by Sunrisers Hyderabad for £1.3m [Darrian Traynor/Getty Images]}

Punjab Kings are perennial underachievers, so there is a lot of expectation on Curran's shoulders. Can he replicate his form at the T20 World Cup which saw him shine in the powerplay and at the death in the absence of Reece Topley?

Brook, meanwhile, is heading into his first IPL season with the world at his feet. Over the past 12 months or so, he has established himself as one of England's most exciting run-scorers and cemented his place in the international side in all three formats.

The Yorkshire favourite has scored nearly 2,500 T20 runs at a strike rate of 148.35 and will be sharing a dressing room with Aiden Markram, Glenn Phillips and Heinrich Klaasen among others.

However, Sunrisers are a franchise in something of a transitional phase. They have a new head coach, a new captain, and retained just 12 players from their 2022 squad after a run of disappointing campaigns and the pressure is on this group to break the cycle and deliver an second title.

Can Brook and Curran justify their seven-figure salaries? Can they steer their respective franchises to long-awaited trophy success? Or will they join the list of poor auction purchases? Only time will tell. One thing's for sure: it'll be entertaining.

Can Gujarat Titans make it two from two?

Gujarat Titans' inaugural season went better than even they could have imagined. Coming into the season not many people expected them to go past the group stage, let alone end up as the winners.

And yet that's exactly what they did. Under the leadership of the enigmatic Hardik Pandya, they took everyone by surprise and defeated Rajasthan Royals in the final. In fact, they beat the Royals no fewer than three times en route to the trophy, which shows just how dominant they were.

Unsurprisingly, they've retained the core of last season's squad, with Pandya – who scored 487 runs and took eight wickets – staying on as captain and Shubman Gill (483 runs), David Miller (481 runs), Rashid Khan (19 wickets) and Mohammed Shami (20 wickets) among the other notable returnees.

^{Hardik Pandya captained Gujarat Titans to victory last season}

At December's auction, they made a number of savvy purchases, including signing Kane Williamson after he was released by Sunrisers Hyderabad. The former New Zealand skipper had a disappointing 2022 campaign, scoring just 216 runs, but does average 36.22 in the IPL. Pacers Odean Smith and Josh Little – the first Ireland player to be bought at auction – were among the other additions.

It's safe to say the Titans are a side with a target on their back and unfortunately, history also suggests they will not be celebrating come May 28. Only twice in 15 years has a side successfully defended the title.

However, should they succeed, Panyda would join Rohit Sharma with six IPL titles.

A goodbye to MS Dhoni?

Rumours continue to whirl that this will be MS Dhoni's last ever IPL. While the player himself has not confirmed this he also has not ruled out the possibility.

Under Dhoni’'s influence, CSK have become one of the most successful sides in IPL history, lifting the title in 2010, 2011, 2018 and 2021 and failing to reach the playoffs just twice. And though he handed the captaincy to Ravindra Jadeja in 2022, he stepped back into the role midway through a poor season, demonstrating just how important he is to the franchise.

The former India captain has scored 4,978 runs in 234 IPL matches but his influence on the tournament and Indian cricket goes far beyond the number of runs he's scored or the titles he's won. He is a pantheon of the sport and loved by Indian cricket fans.

If this is to be a farewell tour it could end up being an emotional season for Dhoni with fans paying their respect across the country.

He's not the imperious batter he once was but he is still a match-winner on his day. Is there a fairy-tale ending on the cards? Even those not in CSK yellow will probably hope so if this turns out to be his final act.

Watch him while you can.

^{MS Dhoni has got his hands on the trophy no fewer than four times [Robert Cianflone/Getty Images]}

Yuzvendra Chahal chasing history

Yuzvrenda Chahal had an incredible season for the Rajasthan Royals last year.

The leg-spinner topped the wicket-taking charts, with 27 dismissals, and even impressed while on the losing side in the final, returning figures of 1 for 20.

The 32-year-old has been involved in the IPL since 2013, featuring for the Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore before joining Rajasthan last year, and his consistency over the last decade or so leaves him within touching distance of a new record.

Dwayne Bravo is the leading wicket-taker in IPL history having taken 183 wickets in 161 matches.

If Chahal continues the form he had last season, there will be a new name at the top. The India international is currently third on the list with 166 wickets in 131 games, 17 shy from matching Bravo's total, and he's taken at least 18 wickets in each of his past four IPL campaigns.

The deeper Rajasthan Royals go in the tournament, the better the chances are that Chahal will overhaul Bravo (and second-placed Lasith Malinga, his bowling coach at the Royals) and cement his place in IPL history.